US-Iran Ceasefire Talks Boost Market Expectations; Oil Prices Fall But Supply Risks Remain
Oil prices fell on Friday as markets weighed the likelihood of a US-Iran ceasefire while also worrying that escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could disrupt supplies from the key Middle Eastern oil producer. The market had endured a week of sharp volatility before this. According to sources close to the discussions, US and Iranian negotiators, who held talks in New York this week, have explored a phased path to end the conflict, including Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting economic sanctions on Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that when the war ends still depends on the US’s decision. However, Reuters’ vessel traffic data shows that the physical supply situation remains fragile. Only 10 commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, up from 7 the day before, but still well below the average of around 17 vessels per day over the past 10 days. Positive news on diplomatic progress could help erode some of the geopolitical premium priced into oil, but shipping data indicates that any meaningful normalization is still a long way off.
6 minutes ago
Payment Processor Vulnerability Causes Mass NFT Theft; Yuga Labs' White Hat Team Rescues NFTs Worth Over $5.7 Million
Yuga Labs’ Vice President of Blockchain, Quit, released a statement saying that at 9 a.m. ET today, attackers exploited a vulnerability in Payment Processor V2 to steal 10 Meebits, 50 Otherdeeds, 10 WoW, and 235 Desperate Apewives. The incident was reported to the team more than 12 hours later, and a subsequent investigation revealed that a large number of NFTs faced similar risks. Quit noted that after contacting the LimitBreak team, the latter swiftly suspended the similarly affected Payment Processor V3. However, V2 could not be paused, and V3 on ApeChain was also temporarily un-suspendable. As a result, the team launched a white hat operation, transferring and securing a total of 23,155 NFTs valued at over $5.7 million. The team later discovered the same vulnerability could also be abused to steal WETH, with approximately 660 WETH at risk that could not be recovered in time. All rescued NFTs have now been moved to secure addresses; holders will be able to claim their assets after revoking authorizations for the vulnerable contract.
6 minutes ago
Xie Jiayin: Bitget will resume withdrawals as soon as all risks are eliminated.
Xie Jiayin, head of Bitget’s Chinese-language region, released a statement noting that theft incidents and handling protocols vary across different security events. Bitget will resume withdrawals as soon as all risks are eliminated, and hopes users will grant the platform sufficient time to complete security checks. Xie added that in Bitget’s 8 years of operation, the platform has never misappropriated user assets; its User Protection Fund, established in 2022, has consistently remained above $300 million to guard against black swan events. The platform is not concerned about users withdrawing funds, but rather, out of prudent consideration for market and security risks, it has opted to temporarily suspend the withdrawal function.
6 minutes ago
Binance's co-CEO: We are assisting Bitget in tracking and recovering stolen funds, and sharing security intelligence.
Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng issued a statement saying that after the Bitget security incident, Binance’s security team has been working closely with Bitget since the incident was detected, assisting in sharing security intelligence, tracking related funds, and supporting asset recovery efforts. Teng noted that in such security incidents, the crypto industry will unite to counter attackers, and the relevant assistance work is still ongoing.
6 minutes ago
Bonk Guy: Pullback in Robinhood Chain Ecosystem Tokens Could Be a Buying Opportunity
Prominent trader Bonk Guy has published a post expressing optimism about the Robinhood Chain ecosystem, arguing that price corrections of assets within the Robinhood Chain ecosystem present buying opportunities, and stating: "Buy now, you will thank me later."
6 minutes ago
Security Alert: Users Must Revoke Authorizations for Payment Processor V2 and V3 Related Contracts Immediately.
Yuga Labs’ Vice President of Blockchain, Quit (@0xQuit), issued a reminder that users should immediately revoke authorizations for the Ethereum Payment Processor V2 and ApeChain Payment Processor V3 contracts, using tools such as revoke.cash or similar platforms. Quit stated that if users’ assets were transferred without authorization, those held at addresses starting with “0x71cf” remain secure. However, affected users still need to revoke the aforementioned contract authorizations. Earlier reports flagged a suspected NFT security flaw at NFT marketplace Magic Eden, where a white hat hacker transferred 3,832 NFTs from hundreds of wallets, valued at approximately $1.5 million. Yuga Labs’ blockchain VP Quit clarified that the transfer was a white hat operation, with all relevant NFTs stored at addresses starting with “0x71cF”. The assets are safe and will be fully returned once the risk is mitigated.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
XRP Ledger stablecoin market cap rose 6.15% weekly to $1.159 billion. RLUSD accounted for $1.067 billion, or 92.1% of the total market. RLUSD grew 11.55% over 30 days, outpacing overall XRP Ledger stablecoin growth. USDC fell 21.86% monthly on XRP Ledger despite a 6.71% weekly recovery. Stablecoin market growth does not confirm XRP purchases or institutional investment. The XRP Ledger stablecoin market reached about $1.159 billion on September 25 after gaining $67.12 million in one week. DefiLlama data shows the total rose 6.15% during the seven days. Ripple USD, or RLUSD, remained the largest stablecoin on the network.
XRP Ledger Stablecoin Market Reaches $1.159 Billion RLUSD accounted for about $1.067 billion, equal to 92.1% of the tracked stablecoin market. Its market value rose 11.55% over 30 days. The broader XRP Ledger stablecoin market increased 9.8% during the same period.
The growth comes as the network prepares for other changes. Recent coverage showed that XRP Ledger Batch V1.1 moved closer to activation, with validator support above the required threshold. The feature would allow several linked transactions to settle together under defined conditions.
RLUSD Grows While USDC Records Monthly Drop USDC moved in the opposite direction over the monthly period. Its XRP Ledger market capitalization fell 21.86% to about $4.62 million. However, USDC rose 6.71% over seven days, slightly above RLUSD’s 6.69% weekly increase.
Other stablecoins also recorded monthly declines. Valtorum USD fell 7.03% to $72.77 million, while EUR CoinVertible dropped 2.37% to $11.37 million. These figures cover only their balances tracked on the XRP Ledger, not their total supply across other supported networks.
DefiLlama’s chain metric measures the value of stablecoins present on a network. It does not measure trading volume or funds deposited in decentralized finance. Separately, Binance launched XRP rewards for eligible RLUSD holders starting September 25, bringing fresh attention to the stablecoin.
Stablecoin Growth Does Not Confirm XRP Buying The market-cap changes do not show that users moved funds directly from USDC or other stablecoins into RLUSD. Such a conclusion would require transaction-level records connecting withdrawals, transfers, issuance, or purchases. Recent market coverage also noted rising RLUSD balances alongside wider XRP market activity. The figures alone also do not identify which users or institutions caused the tracked weekly increase in network balances.
RLUSD targets a one-dollar value and uses cash and cash-equivalent reserves, according to Ripple. Ripple issues the stablecoin on XRP Ledger and Ethereum, so the network balance represents only part of circulation. Ripple says RLUSD supports payments, settlement, and treasury flows. The token remains redeemable one-for-one for U.S. dollars under its reserve structure. XRP remains separate as the ledger’s native cryptocurrency. The weekly increase does not prove equal XRP purchases or institutional investment.
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen shared key takeaways from her earlier live stream on social media, including: 1. Affected assets include ETH, XRP, BNB, AVAX, USDT, USDC and other tokens, spanning Ethereum, XRP Ledger, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism, BSC and Base. All on-chain cold wallets have been confirmed secure and were not impacted. 2. Bitget has contacted all affected chain foundations; some foundations have confirmed freezing hacker wallet addresses. The team will continue to follow up on relevant channels and release updates. 3. Bitget stated that based on IP behavioral characteristics and on-chain analysis, the attack method is highly consistent with known patterns of North Korean hacker groups. The platform has reported the incident to relevant authorities and is cooperating with global investigations. 4. Bitget Wallet operates on fully independent infrastructure from the Bitget exchange. This incident had no impact on Bitget Wallet, and all assets in Bitget Wallet are completely secure. 5. Regarding the platform’s financial status, Bitget said that in addition to its over $464 million protection fund, its own assets exceed $1 billion, with user funds fully backed at a 1:1 ratio, and all related data is verifiable on-chain. 6. On the timeline for resuming withdrawals, Bitget noted its goal is to complete a full recovery as soon as possible. A specific time window will be announced immediately once confirmed, and the platform will not commit to unachievable deadlines.
Circle’s Arc blockchain just turned three days old, and institutional borrowers have already pulled more than $90 million in USDC against deposits of cirBTC, the chain’s wrapped Bitcoin token.
The figure represents a dramatic acceleration from the chain’s earliest hours. Borrowing volumes started at roughly $1.37 million shortly after cirBTC went live on September 21, then climbed to $14.3 million within days.
How the plumbing works Arc is Circle’s EVM-compatible Layer 1, purpose-built for what the company calls stablecoin-native finance. The mainnet launched around mid-September 2026, and cirBTC followed on September 21 as the chain’s first major financial primitive.
The token is backed 1:1 by Bitcoin held at Circle National Trust, with reserves verifiable on-chain through Chainlink Proof of Reserve.
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The borrowing process works through what Circle calls Digital Asset-Backed Borrowing, or DABB. Eligible Circle Mint clients deposit BTC, mint cirBTC against it, supply that cirBTC to a lending market on Morpho Blue, and then borrow USDC that settles directly to their Mint balance.
Loan-to-value ratios are set by the lending protocol itself, not by Circle. One example market showed an 86% LTV.
One notable restriction: clients based in New York are excluded from DABB.
Who’s providing the liquidity Two names keep appearing on the supply side of these markets: Galaxy and Keyrock. Both firms have been acting as primary liquidity providers to the cirBTC/USDC lending pools on Morpho Blue, which helps explain why borrowing capacity scaled so quickly.
On launch day itself, deposits of USDC and EURC reportedly exceeded $150 million, suggesting the supply side was well-seeded before borrowers even showed up.
Why institutions want this The core value proposition is straightforward: borrow dollars without selling your Bitcoin. For institutions with large BTC positions, this solves a real problem. Selling Bitcoin to raise working capital triggers taxable events and forces them to give up upside exposure. Borrowing against it does neither.
The rapid scaling from $1.37 million to $90 million in roughly three days suggests pent-up demand among institutions that wanted Bitcoin-backed borrowing but couldn’t stomach the counterparty risk of existing DeFi options.
Whether the $90 million figure holds up under scrutiny is worth watching. Early reporting on Arc’s launch showed some discrepancies between published snapshots and actual on-chain volumes, with some figures reflecting lower borrowing activity than headline numbers suggested. The gap between deposits ($150 million-plus) and borrowing ($90 million) also indicates that a meaningful chunk of supplied capital hasn’t been matched with borrowers yet.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Payy Network shut down its entire payments platform on September 24 after an attacker exploited a vulnerability in its Ethereum rollup contract and walked away with roughly $1.83 million in USDC. Deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and card transactions all went dark as the team scrambled to contain the damage.
The exploit hit at 04:21 UTC, buried inside a malicious verifyRollup transaction confirmed at block 26044909.
What the attacker actually did Payy is built around a privacy-first stablecoin payments model, running on an Ethereum-based rollup. The rollup contract is effectively the bridge between what happens on Payy’s network and what gets settled on Ethereum mainnet, and that bridge is where the attacker found their opening.
By crafting a transaction that passed through the verifyRollup function, the exploiter was able to extract USDC that should have remained locked in the contract.
Blockchain investigation firm Specter Investigation traced the stolen funds through the Railgun privacy protocol, where the USDC was converted into approximately 683 ETH and then fanned out across multiple addresses.
Payy confirmed the attack publicly and said all network operations were suspended while the team works with law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals. No timeline for resuming services has been announced.
This is not Payy’s first security scare in 2026 What makes this breach harder to dismiss as a fluke is that Payy already dealt with a serious vulnerability earlier this year. In June 2026, the project disclosed a critical flaw in its zk-circuit logic, the cryptographic layer responsible for generating the zero-knowledge proofs that underpin the platform’s privacy guarantees.
That flaw had allowed for the potential creation of forged burn messages, meaning an attacker could theoretically signal that tokens had been destroyed when they hadn’t been. The team patched it in version 1.3.0 before any funds were lost.
Why rollup bridges keep ending up in the headlines Payy’s case follows a familiar pattern: a project builds a sophisticated privacy architecture, the cryptographic layer holds, but the surrounding infrastructure fails. Zero-knowledge proofs are exceptionally hard to break mathematically. The contracts that wrap around them are not always written to the same standard.
What users and investors are watching now The immediate concern for Payy users is straightforward: funds are frozen, the network is dark, and the company has not given a restart date.
Payy has not indicated whether affected users will be made whole. In past DeFi exploits, outcomes have ranged from full reimbursement funded by treasury reserves to total losses for users, depending on the protocol’s financial position and governance decisions. Payy has not yet disclosed which category this incident falls into.
Security audits, which Payy had clearly invested in given the June patch, are necessary but not sufficient. The June vulnerability was found and fixed before exploitation. The September exploit suggests either a separate attack surface was missed or the fix introduced new complexity that created new risk.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
ARK Invest has moved its Venture Fund onto the Ethereum blockchain, giving eligible investors a way to subscribe and redeem their holdings entirely onchain using USDC. The fund, listed under the ticker ARKVX as a Class D share, processed its first tokenized subscriptions through Securitize’s platform on September 24, 2026.
A $1.3 billion actively managed fund, one holding stakes in private companies like SpaceX and OpenAI, is now accessible through a crypto wallet and a stablecoin transfer.
How the mechanics actually work The subscription flow borrows from the ERC-7540 standard, which handles asynchronous vault requests. An investor submits a USDC subscription request and it gets recorded onchain right away. The actual fund tokens land in the investor’s wallet only after end-of-day net asset value calculations are complete, meaning the price you pay reflects that day’s officially calculated NAV rather than a spot market quote.
NAV stood at $60.49 per share just before the token launch on September 23, 2026. The 2% subscription fee is deducted before NAV is applied, so investors are effectively paying that fee on the gross amount sent before their share count is determined.
Each tokenized interest represents a 1:1 claim on shares of the underlying ARK Venture Fund. The actual fund shares sit at BNY Mellon as custodian, preserving the legal and regulatory structure investors would expect from a traditional interval fund.
Redemptions follow the same onchain logic. Investors submit requests through Securitize’s platform, those requests are recorded immediately, and settlement happens post-NAV. There is no secondary market planned for the tokenized assets, so liquidity remains what it was before tokenization: quarterly repurchase offers capped at 5% of outstanding shares, with the possibility of proration if demand for redemptions exceeds that limit in any given quarter.
The fund underneath the token ARKVX’s portfolio targets disruptive innovation, with concentrated exposure to sectors like artificial intelligence and aerospace. Holdings include private market names that most retail investors cannot normally access, SpaceX and OpenAI among them.
The fund reported a 20.35% return in the second quarter of 2026, outpacing the S&P 500’s 15.20% gain over the same period. Year-to-date through mid-2026, performance reached 26.71%. Assets under management stood at approximately $1.3 billion as of June 30, 2026.
Annual expenses run at approximately 3.49%. The minimum investment is $500, a deliberately low floor designed to bring in investors who would normally be priced out of private market exposure. Most interval funds and alternative vehicles aimed at accredited investors set minimums in the tens of thousands of dollars.
What this means for tokenized funds broadly ARK made a direct investment in Securitize in October 2025, so this product is partly an expression of that strategic bet paying out in product form.
Carlos Domingo, Securitize’s chief executive, framed the significance around moving established financial products onto blockchain rails rather than building new crypto-native products from scratch.
Cathie Wood described the launch as evidence of ARK’s commitment to the evolution of capital markets.
The quarterly liquidity structure is worth watching closely. Running redemption requests onchain adds transparency to the queue, since pending requests are visible on the blockchain, but it does not add liquidity. Investors who need to exit quickly in a stressed market will face the same constraints they would in a traditional interval fund structure, just with a cleaner digital record of the line they are standing in.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Crypto exchange Bitget has been hacked for over $350 million. The hack was identified after users reported withdrawal problems. Initial on-chain data showed roughly $176 million moving from wallets labelled as belonging to the exchange.
Arkham data shows a series of large transfers taking place within around 20 minutes. The funds came from several Bitget-labelled hot wallets and at least one cold wallet.
Bitget then officially confirmed the hack was much bigger, affecting nearly $351 million in funds.
BREAKING: BITGET USERS REPORT WITHDRAWAL ISSUES
Users are reporting blocked withdrawals on Bitget, while on-chain data shows more than $100M in assets moving from a Bitget cold wallet. Something unusual appears to be happening at Bitget. pic.twitter.com/A08qVSbdWj
— BeInCrypto (@beincrypto) September 24, 2026
One address, 0x770b...63Ee, appears repeatedly as the receiver. It received ETH, AVAX, BNB, USDT, USDC, XAUT and other assets from the exchange-linked wallets.
The pattern is unusual because several wallets appear to be sending different assets into the same address within a short period. Similar rapid wallet sweeps can happen during exchange hacks, although exchanges also move funds internally during wallet maintenance or custody changes.
Bitget has confirmed that user withdrawals remain suspended as a security measure. CEO Gracy Chain confirmed that the entire affected amount falls under Bitget’s User Protection Fund.
“User funds are safe. The full amount of this loss falls within the coverage of Bitget’s User Protection Fund, which currently holds over $464 million,” wrote Bitget CEO Gracy Chen.
At 18:31 UTC on September 24, 2026, Bitget’s security systems identified unauthorized transfers involving a limited number of hot wallets.
Our security team immediately activated emergency response procedures and began a full investigation.
Based on our current assessment,… https://t.co/7xF5xW0JQ1
— Bitget (@bitget) September 24, 2026
This is a developing story.
Blockchain security firm @hackenclub has flagged what it describes as a significant and suspicious outflow from wallets publicly labeled as belonging to cryptocurrency exchange @bitget. The firm traced roughly $145 million in assets, including ETH, USDT, USDC, and tokenized gold, moving out of Bitget hot and cold wallets on September 24, 2026, with the pattern consistent with unauthorized access. No official cause has been confirmed.
Funds Rapidly Converted and Dispersed The on-chain trail points to a fast-moving and deliberate operation.
Activity on the Arbitrum network was among the first to draw attention.
The funds are now reported to be spread across six newly created addresses.
No Statement from Bitget, Users Report Blocked Withdrawals Meanwhile, some users are reporting that their own withdrawal requests have been blocked or placed under review, adding to concerns about the state of the exchange's operations.
The root cause of the Bitget outflows remains unverified. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Bitget faces hack concerns after $183 million in crypto moves
Bitcoin Sistemi: The Bitget Hack Is Still Ongoing, There Are New Developments
Onramp Kit brings fiat-to-USDC conversion in-app@arc has opened its Onramp Kit to developers, giving applications a straightforward way to convert users' regular money into $USDC without redirecting them to a third-party site.
The move is part of a broader push by Circle to make stablecoin adoption frictionless at the point of entry.
Powering the payment rails inside the Onramp Kit is Transak.
Flexible integration and real-time event trackingDevelopers have two ways to plug in the kit. They can embed a hosted widget for a minimal-code setup, or work through SDK methods for deeper customisation. Either route includes built-in lifecycle events, so teams can track each stage of a user's funding flow from start to finish.
The Onramp Kit launch follows Circle's public mainnet debut of Arc on 16 September 2026.
Sources
Arc Mainnet Is Here: The Economic OS for the Internet Is Now Live (arc.io)
Circle Arc Mainnet Launches with USDC Gas (crypto.news)
Transak Brings Fiat On-Ramps to Arc (bitcoinethereumnews.com)
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Per Binance's announcement, the exchange will list Hyperliquid (HYPE) at 19:00 UTC+8 on September 24, launching spot trading pairs for HYPE/USDT, HYPE/USDC, and HYPE/TRY. HYPE deposits opened one hour before trading goes live, and withdrawals are scheduled to open at 19:00 UTC+8 on September 25.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Tom Lee: Robinhood chose Ethereum as its infrastructure, citing its security and liquidity.
Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine, an Ethereum treasury firm, said that Robinhood’s choice of Ethereum as the infrastructure for its related businesses is primarily driven by the network’s security and liquidity, rather than low transaction fees. Ethereum’s value proposition is gradually moving beyond simply earning transaction fees; the network no longer needs to maximize gas fees or extract more value from projects built on it to drive growth. Meanwhile, ETH is gradually evolving into a store-of-value asset, with users holding it for its practical utility and appreciation potential.
17 minutes ago
WTI crude oil’s intraday gain has widened to 2.00%, now trading at $93.96 per barrel.
According to Bitget market data, WTI crude oil's intraday gain has expanded to 2.00%, currently trading at $93.96 per barrel.
17 minutes ago
Federal Reserve's Paulson: Further interest rate hikes may be needed to lower inflation; at most, it can only be said that inflation has not worsened further.
2026 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voting member and Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Paulson said the September inflation report prompted interest rate hikes, AI development has fueled persistent inflation, and he backs the policy path of lowering inflation to the 2% target. The Federal Reserve may need to implement another interest rate hike to bring inflation down. As for inflation, the best that can be noted is that it has not worsened further.
17 minutes ago
ONDO breaks through $0.51, with its 24-hour price rally expanding to over 22%
Per HTX market data, the positive momentum from Ondo’s partnership with BlackRock to launch a tokenized “smart portfolio” continues to build, driving ONDO past $0.51, with its 24-hour gain expanding to over 22%. The development: Ondo and BlackRock have partnered to roll out a tokenized “smart portfolio” that grants exposure to professional investment portfolios via a single on-chain token.
17 minutes ago
Market News: New York State Government Sues Polymarket
According to market sources, the New York State government has filed a lawsuit against Polymarket, accusing the prediction market platform of operating an illegal gambling business. No additional details have been disclosed regarding the lawsuit’s specific allegations and the relief measures sought by New York State.
17 minutes ago
Security Alert: Meter Passport on BNB Chain has suffered an attack, with approximately $2.3 million worth of wMTRG minted.
According to Blockaid's monitoring, Meter Passport, operated by Meter.io on BNB Chain, is under attack. Attackers are minting large volumes of uncollateralized wrapped tokens (wMTRG) via the cross-chain bridge, and have sold some of these tokens on PancakeSwap. To date, the attackers have minted wMTRG worth around $2.3 million in roughly two transactions, and the attack is still ongoing.
Tom Lee: Robinhood chose Ethereum as its infrastructure, citing its security and liquidity.
Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine, an Ethereum treasury firm, said that Robinhood’s choice of Ethereum as the infrastructure for its related businesses is primarily driven by the network’s security and liquidity, rather than low transaction fees. Ethereum’s value proposition is gradually moving beyond simply earning transaction fees; the network no longer needs to maximize gas fees or extract more value from projects built on it to drive growth. Meanwhile, ETH is gradually evolving into a store-of-value asset, with users holding it for its practical utility and appreciation potential.
17 minutes ago
WTI crude oil’s intraday gain has widened to 2.00%, now trading at $93.96 per barrel.
According to Bitget market data, WTI crude oil's intraday gain has expanded to 2.00%, currently trading at $93.96 per barrel.
17 minutes ago
Federal Reserve's Paulson: Further interest rate hikes may be needed to lower inflation; at most, it can only be said that inflation has not worsened further.
2026 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voting member and Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Paulson said the September inflation report prompted interest rate hikes, AI development has fueled persistent inflation, and he backs the policy path of lowering inflation to the 2% target. The Federal Reserve may need to implement another interest rate hike to bring inflation down. As for inflation, the best that can be noted is that it has not worsened further.
17 minutes ago
ONDO breaks through $0.51, with its 24-hour price rally expanding to over 22%
Per HTX market data, the positive momentum from Ondo’s partnership with BlackRock to launch a tokenized “smart portfolio” continues to build, driving ONDO past $0.51, with its 24-hour gain expanding to over 22%. The development: Ondo and BlackRock have partnered to roll out a tokenized “smart portfolio” that grants exposure to professional investment portfolios via a single on-chain token.
17 minutes ago
Market News: New York State Government Sues Polymarket
According to market sources, the New York State government has filed a lawsuit against Polymarket, accusing the prediction market platform of operating an illegal gambling business. No additional details have been disclosed regarding the lawsuit’s specific allegations and the relief measures sought by New York State.
17 minutes ago
Security Alert: Meter Passport on BNB Chain has suffered an attack, with approximately $2.3 million worth of wMTRG minted.
According to Blockaid's monitoring, Meter Passport, operated by Meter.io on BNB Chain, is under attack. Attackers are minting large volumes of uncollateralized wrapped tokens (wMTRG) via the cross-chain bridge, and have sold some of these tokens on PancakeSwap. To date, the attackers have minted wMTRG worth around $2.3 million in roughly two transactions, and the attack is still ongoing.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
According to Scam Sniffer’s monitoring, Duelbits’ hot wallets on the Ethereum, BSC, and Tron networks saw an outflow of approximately $4.2 million in funds, suspected to be related to a private key leak. The transferred assets include 836 ETH, 1.62 million USDT, 97,000 USDC, 209 BNB, and 192,000 TRX. Most of the moved assets have now been converted into ETH.
Tom Lee: Robinhood chose Ethereum as its infrastructure, citing its security and liquidity.
Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine, an Ethereum treasury firm, said that Robinhood’s choice of Ethereum as the infrastructure for its related businesses is primarily driven by the network’s security and liquidity, rather than low transaction fees. Ethereum’s value proposition is gradually moving beyond simply earning transaction fees; the network no longer needs to maximize gas fees or extract more value from projects built on it to drive growth. Meanwhile, ETH is gradually evolving into a store-of-value asset, with users holding it for its practical utility and appreciation potential.
17 minutes ago
WTI crude oil’s intraday gain has widened to 2.00%, now trading at $93.96 per barrel.
According to Bitget market data, WTI crude oil's intraday gain has expanded to 2.00%, currently trading at $93.96 per barrel.
17 minutes ago
Federal Reserve's Paulson: Further interest rate hikes may be needed to lower inflation; at most, it can only be said that inflation has not worsened further.
2026 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voting member and Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Paulson said the September inflation report prompted interest rate hikes, AI development has fueled persistent inflation, and he backs the policy path of lowering inflation to the 2% target. The Federal Reserve may need to implement another interest rate hike to bring inflation down. As for inflation, the best that can be noted is that it has not worsened further.
17 minutes ago
ONDO breaks through $0.51, with its 24-hour price rally expanding to over 22%
Per HTX market data, the positive momentum from Ondo’s partnership with BlackRock to launch a tokenized “smart portfolio” continues to build, driving ONDO past $0.51, with its 24-hour gain expanding to over 22%. The development: Ondo and BlackRock have partnered to roll out a tokenized “smart portfolio” that grants exposure to professional investment portfolios via a single on-chain token.
17 minutes ago
Market News: New York State Government Sues Polymarket
According to market sources, the New York State government has filed a lawsuit against Polymarket, accusing the prediction market platform of operating an illegal gambling business. No additional details have been disclosed regarding the lawsuit’s specific allegations and the relief measures sought by New York State.
17 minutes ago
Security Alert: Meter Passport on BNB Chain has suffered an attack, with approximately $2.3 million worth of wMTRG minted.
According to Blockaid's monitoring, Meter Passport, operated by Meter.io on BNB Chain, is under attack. Attackers are minting large volumes of uncollateralized wrapped tokens (wMTRG) via the cross-chain bridge, and have sold some of these tokens on PancakeSwap. To date, the attackers have minted wMTRG worth around $2.3 million in roughly two transactions, and the attack is still ongoing.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Stablecoin infrastructure provider HIFI has secured $37 million in a Series A funding round led by Left Lane Capital, as the use of stablecoins for payments and cross-border transactions accelerates despite ongoing volatility in the wider crypto market.
According to data from Chainalysis, cross-border stablecoin flows increased 77.5% to $220.3 billion in the 12 months ending June 2026, even as the overall crypto market contracted by more than a third during the same period. This trend underscores growing global interest in stablecoin-based transfers, particularly for international payments where traditional rails may pose delays and higher costs.
HIFI CEO Zach Walsh stated that this Series A round marks the company’s first priced fundraising. Although the firm did not disclose its current valuation, Walsh reported that HIFI is processing about $7 billion in annualized volume directly through its platform.
HIFI enables customers to move dollars into and out of stablecoins, facilitate payouts via US banking rails and cards, and settle dollar-denominated tokenized repo and Treasury transactions.
The demand for reliable stablecoin infrastructure has grown as more payments and financial assets shift onto blockchains, increasing the need for seamless connectivity between digital assets and the traditional banking sector.
Industry participation growsMajor financial institutions, including Visa and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), have initiated or expanded blockchain-based financial infrastructure solutions. In July, DTCC conducted production trades using tokenized securities across several market segments, such as US Treasury and repo settlement, equity transactions, and collateral management. HIFI participated in these transactions alongside over 30 firms, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Nasdaq.
These pilot transactions utilized assets held at the Depository Trust Company, converting them into tokenized representations for delivery-versus-payment trades and other functions. DTCC has announced plans to launch its Tokenization Service in October, which is expected to further advance the adoption of tokenized financial infrastructure.
HIFI expands stablecoin payout optionsHIFI has also expanded its services to include card-based payouts in partnership with Visa Direct. Through its platform, customers can convert USDC and transfer the proceeds directly to eligible Visa debit and credit cards worldwide. This development reflects Visa’s ongoing efforts to incorporate stablecoin capabilities into its payments network.
Visa reported that during its fiscal second quarter, more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs were active globally. Payment volume for these programs nearly tripled year over year, reflecting surging adoption of stablecoin-based solutions for retail and commercial payments.
Visa stated that its stablecoin settlement volume had surpassed a $20 billion annualized run rate, over 15 times higher than the prior year’s figure.
The increasing use of stablecoins, paired with innovative infrastructure, is attracting growing market attention. Market participants are now recognizing the importance of monitoring technical factors such as transaction volume, timing, and asset selection. In the meme token segment, internet-driven trends have shown how rapidly new tokens can capture substantial value. Data from Fomo App highlights a standout example where a $99 investment in “Niu Lai” ballooned to about $370,000. Fomo App integrates token discovery, trading, social feeds, investor rankings, and trade notifications in a unified platform, helping users stay updated on meme token opportunities alongside broader investor activity.
According to the latest compiled data on stablecoin current wealth management and earning products from HTX, Binance, OKX, and Bitget, major platforms still generally adopt a mechanism of "high returns for small amounts, tiered reduction for excess amounts". OKX’s yields are presented on an after-15% fee basis. For USDT: HTX’s 0-200 USDT tier offers a 10% annual percentage yield (APY), dropping to 1.95% for excess amounts; Bitget’s 0-300 USDT tier yields 8.02% APY, with excess amounts at 3.36%; Binance’s 0-1,000 USDT tier is 7.22% APY, excess at 3.22%; OKX’s rate stands at 2.60%. For USDC: HTX’s 0-200 USDC tier has an 8% APY, excess at 2.75%; Binance’s 0-300 USDC tier is 7.26% APY, excess at 2.26%; Bitget’s 0-300 USDC tier is 6.66% APY, excess at 1.83%; OKX’s rate is 2.56%. For other stablecoins: HTX’s USDT SVIP tier offers 6%-9% APY, applicable for amounts between 50,000 and 100,000; Binance’s USDT SVIP is 2.6%-2.65% APY; Bitget’s USDT SVIP 0-300,000 tier is 2.88% APY, excess at 1.88%. For USDE: HTX has tiered rates of 5% and 3%, Binance offers 4.75% APY, Bitget offers 7.10% APY; HTX’s USDD is 4.00% APY; Binance’s U product 0-8,000 tier is 6.63% APY, excess at 0.63%, while Bitget’s U product is 1.50% APY. Overall, high returns remain concentrated in small amount tiers, with APYs generally declining as capital size grows. Users should also note tier limits, interest calculation rules, fees, and real-time availability when comparing products. All data are page-displayed yields and do not constitute investment advice.
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The Trump administration is considering a push to expand US dollar stablecoins overseas, according to Bloomberg. The idea could bring more foreign money into US government debt while making digital dollars easier to use around the world.
The timing is important as US national debt passed $40 trillion last month.
The Plan: Get More of the World Using Digital DollarsBloomberg reports that officials are discussing public-private partnerships to expand dollar-backed stablecoins abroad. Treasury, the State Department and the US International Development Finance Corporation could potentially play roles. No countries, companies or funding commitments have been announced.
The broader policy is already public. Trump ordered his administration in 2025 to promote the growth of legitimate dollar-backed stablecoins worldwide.
The logic is simple.
Someone abroad buys $1,000 of a reserve-backed stablecoin. The issuer then needs assets backing those tokens. For major stablecoins such as USDC and USDT, those reserves include US government securities and related dollar assets.
More stablecoins can therefore mean more buyers for Treasury debt.
Will This Help Americans?It would not erase America’s $40 trillion debt. But it could make that debt easier and potentially cheaper to finance.
The Richmond Fed found that wider adoption of reserve-backed stablecoins increases demand for Treasuries and can put downward pressure on interest rates. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has similarly said stablecoin growth could create a surge in Treasury demand.
Even modestly lower borrowing costs matter when Washington owes tens of trillions of dollars.
Lower government interest costs could eventually leave more fiscal room elsewhere, although there is no guaranteed or immediate saving for households.
Why the US Government Wants to Create More Demand for Dollar-Backed StablecoinsNew Opportunity For USDT and USDC Stablecoin Holders?For holders worldwide, the bigger opportunity is access.
If Washington helps build regulated stablecoin infrastructure abroad, USDC and potentially USDT could gain more banking connections, fiat on-ramps, payment integrations and merchant acceptance.
That could make digital dollars easier to use for remittances, international payments and savings in countries where accessing actual US dollars is difficult.
There is historical precedent for the broader strategy. In the 1970s, Washington encouraged Saudi oil surpluses to flow back into US government securities. US records say Saudi institutions eventually placed more than $8 billion in US government debt.
Stablecoins could create a modern version of that recycling system — except the dollars could come from millions of ordinary users around the world.
Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire posted on X, citing Arc Chain’s official tweet, that just one week after Arc Chain’s launch, its on-chain assets (USDC and cirCTC) have surged from zero to $700 million, while USDC trading volume has topped $7 billion.
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Binance bought $100 million of Circle stock under a five-year deal that pays the exchange to promote the USDC stablecoin, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission published September 22.
Circle issued Binance 1,237,011 Class A shares at $80.84 each in a private placement that closed September 17, the filing states. The stock went at a discount to Circle’s market price before the sale, though the filing does not say how large. Because the shares were sold unregistered, Binance cannot resell them unless they are registered or an exemption applies.
A five-year promotion pact with a monthly fee Under the commercial agreement, Circle will pay Binance a monthly incentive fee calculated as a percentage of the USDC held through Circle’s Modular Smart Contract Wallet service, while Binance carries out promotional activities for the stablecoin. The fee percentage is not disclosed. Either company can end the five-year partnership early if specified events occur.
Binance cannot sell, transfer, pledge or hedge the shares for up to two years, subject to customary exceptions, unless it terminates the commercial arrangements under certain circumstances. It keeps the right to vote the shares during the lockup.
The arrangement supersedes and replaces agreements the two companies signed in November 2024 and August 2025, making this the third version of the tie-up in under two years. The first deal, announced at Abu Dhabi Finance Week in December 2024, had Binance making USDC available across its products and holding it in its treasury.
Richard Teng, co-CEO of Binance, called the investment and five-year commitment “long-duration conviction” in a statement.
The deal lands amid regulatory pressure The filing was published one day after Bloomberg reported that federal prosecutors are investigating whether Binance breached US sanctions on Iran.
Circle’s stock has slid during the partnership’s expansion, closing at $94.29 on the NYSE on Monday, according to Yahoo Finance data, after trading in the mid-$80s when the placement closed. CRCL is down about 34% over 12 months, against a 16.5% gain for the S&P 500.
Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s co-founder, chairman and CEO, said Binance has become “the most widely used wallet for dollar stablecoins.”
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Circle has expanded its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol beyond USDC on Arc, bringing native EURC and cirBTC transfers into the network while preparing Gateway and Bridge Kit for additional multi-asset workflows.
Summary
Circle expanded CCTP beyond USDC, enabling native transfers for EURC and cirBTC across Arc routes. EURC currently moves through CCTP across Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum, and World Chain routes today. cirBTC CCTP support currently connects Arc and Ethereum, while Gateway integration remains planned for later. Gateway currently unifies USDC balances on Arc and Ethereum, with additional asset support coming later. Arc launched September 16 with USDC gas, institutional validators, and interoperability across twenty-plus blockchain networks. Arc’s Sept. 23 update said Interop on Arc is now live with CCTP, Gateway and Forwarding Service integrated into the Layer 1, giving developers separate tools for native Circle-issued assets, third-party tokens, new multichain assets and unified balances.
The latest deployment does not mean every Circle product already supports all three assets in the same way. CCTP is live for USDC, EURC and cirBTC on specific routes, while Gateway remains limited to USDC at launch. Circle says EURC and cirBTC support for Gateway is planned over time.
Circle expands CCTP beyond USDC on Arc CCTP now handles native crosschain transfers for USDC, EURC and cirBTC, extending a system that was originally built around USDC burn-and-mint transfers.
Circle’s current CCTP product page describes the protocol as infrastructure that lets supported assets move 1:1 between chains. For Circle-issued assets, CCTP burns tokens on the source network and mints native tokens on the destination, avoiding liquidity pools used by some traditional bridge designs.
EURC entered the system earlier this month. Circle said on Sept. 2 that CCTP had expanded from USDC to native EURC transfers, initially between Ethereum and Base. The Arc launch has since extended EURC coverage to Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum and World Chain.
cirBTC now follows a similar route. Interop on Arc lists CCTP support between Arc and Ethereum for Circle Wrapped Bitcoin, creating a native crosschain path for the BTC-backed token across the two networks.
Circle separately brought cirBTC to Arc on Sept. 21. The company says each token is backed 1:1 by native BTC held for cirBTC holders, with reserve information available for onchain verification. The wrapped asset is issued by Circle International Bermuda Limited, which holds a Class F Digital Asset Business license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Circle launched Bitcoin-backed USDC borrowing through cirBTC on Arc and Ethereum, allowing eligible Circle Mint institutions to post cirBTC to third-party lending markets and receive USDC. Morpho was the first supported lending protocol when the service went live.
EURC and cirBTC get different routes at launch The three assets do not share identical network coverage. USDC remains CCTP’s most established asset and can use all compatible routes offered through the current Arc interoperability stack. EURC supports Arc, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum and World Chain, while cirBTC currently supports Arc and Ethereum.
Circle says CCTP Fast Transfer can complete transfers in “sub-10-second” times on supported Arc routes. The company cautions in its terms that transfer times and fee estimates are not guaranteed because results depend on the selected chain, route and network conditions.
Forwarding Service handles another part of the flow. It can relay the destination-chain transaction after CCTP completes the asset movement, removing the need for users to separately hold the destination network’s gas token for supported transactions.
Circle updated CCTP earlier in September with prepaid Fast Transfer fees. CCTP now lets developers quote and collect certain crosschain fees on the source network, allowing an application to show the recipient amount before the transfer executes.
Arc routes receive preferential CCTP pricing, according to the Sept. 23 announcement, although rates depend on the asset and route. Circle has not published one universal Arc transfer fee for USDC, EURC and cirBTC.
Gateway still supports USDC before multi-asset expansion The product creates a unified balance from supported funds held across different networks, allowing applications to treat eligible crosschain liquidity as one available balance. On Arc, Gateway currently supports USDC balances on Arc and Ethereum.
EURC and cirBTC Gateway support is listed as “coming soon.” Circle has not disclosed a launch date for either asset, so CCTP support should not be confused with live Gateway balance support.
Circle’s current legal disclosures likewise describe Gateway as USDC-only. The company says Gateway is non-custodial software infrastructure and does not itself hold, control or transfer customers’ assets. It has not been reviewed or approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services or another regulator, according to the product disclosures.
The company has been building toward multi-asset interoperability for several months. In an April product roadmap, Circle said CCTP had already processed more than $140 billion in cumulative USDC transfers across more than 20 chains and that future versions would extend the same model to assets including EURC and cirBTC.
The Sept. 23 release turns part of that roadmap into production infrastructure, while Gateway’s asset expansion remains unfinished.
Arc lets third-party assets use separate crosschain models Circle’s interop stack is not limited to tokens issued by Circle. Interop on Arc supports third-party assets through wrapping and a Crosschain Token Standard, or CTS. Developers and issuers can use CTS when they require controls such as allowlists, transfer rate limits, pausing, upgrades and governance rules.
The company says it does not retain override authority over CTS or custom third-party token contracts. Issuers remain responsible for their token structures, operating rules and regulatory obligations.
For new assets, CTS provides a standardized contract structure that can be deployed across chains. Circle describes the system as an alternative to maintaining different token contracts and bridge integrations for each network.
CCTP’s updated architecture supports both burn-and-mint and lock-and-mint models. Native supported assets can move through burn-and-mint, while third-party assets can use wrapping infrastructure where appropriate.
Bridge Kit packages these flows into an SDK for application developers. Arc Studio provides a separate development environment where teams can build applications using the same interop stack without manually connecting every service.
Circle launched Arc Studio as an AI-assisted tool for building applications on Arc, with examples ranging from cross-border payments to software billing and machine-to-machine transactions.
Arc interoperability builds on September mainnet launch Arc went live publicly on Sept. 16 with USDC used for transaction fees, deterministic sub-second finality and a permissioned founding validator set.
Circle said more than 100 institutional and ecosystem builders and more than 100 applications were participating at launch. Founding validators include BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, ICE, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, Visa and Worldpay.
Arc mainnet launched with USDC gas and institutional validators including BlackRock and Visa. Circle said the network began with interoperability across more than 20 blockchain ecosystems through CCTP and Gateway.
Arc’s asset layer has expanded quickly since launch. cirBTC became available on Sept. 21, followed by StableFX on Sept. 22 and the integrated Interop product on Sept. 23. StableFX uses Arc for 24/7 stablecoin-based foreign-exchange settlement with request-for-quote pricing and atomic payment-versus-payment settlement.
Circle says cirBTC can already serve as collateral in Arc lending markets, including supported Aave and Morpho applications. Eligible Circle Mint customers can deposit native BTC, mint cirBTC, provide it to approved third-party lending markets and receive borrowed USDC through Circle’s Digital Asset-Backed Borrowing workflow.
The mainnet roadmap extends beyond interoperability. Circle minted a 10 billion ARC genesis supply before the network launch and is exploring a transition from its current Proof-of-Authority structure toward Proof of Stake in 2027. The company says the genesis mint does not constitute a commitment to publicly launch the ARC token.
Gateway support for EURC and cirBTC remains among the next published interoperability steps. Circle has not provided a launch date, while its Sept. 23 Arc documentation continues to list both assets as “coming soon” for unified balances.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Morpho Midnight just made all USDC markets on Morpho Blue available through its platform, letting users place individual and multi-market limit orders for fixed-rate lending.
The expansion means lenders and borrowers can now access USDC paired with collateral options including cbBTC, WBTC, wETH, and tokenized stocks, all through Midnight’s fixed-rate, fixed-term architecture.
Fixed rates meet DeFi flexibility Morpho Midnight launched publicly on July 21, 2026, starting on the Base blockchain with cbBTC/USDC markets. The protocol then expanded to Ethereum on September 8, adding USDC markets paired with WBTC and cbBTC.
The core mechanic works differently from most DeFi lending. Instead of pooling funds and letting an algorithm set rates, Midnight uses a peer-to-peer matching approach where users set offers at specific rates and maturities. Multi-market offers allow users to quote liquidity across multiple markets simultaneously without fragmenting their capital. Funds stay productive through callbacks until a match actually occurs.
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Variable-rate platforms like Aave and Compound adjust rates algorithmically based on utilization. Morpho Blue follows a similar variable-rate and open-term model. Midnight layers a fixed-rate option on top of it.
Scale comparison tells the real story Morpho Blue currently commands more than $5.2 billion in outstanding loans and over $16 billion in deposits across its various integrations. Morpho Midnight, as of late September 2026, has recorded approximately $30 million in deposits — roughly 0.2% of Morpho Blue’s deposit base.
Fixed-rate lending has been one of DeFi’s persistent challenges. Multiple protocols have attempted it over the years, including Notional and Yield Protocol, which shut down in 2023.
Morpho’s approach of running Midnight alongside Blue gives it a structural advantage that standalone fixed-rate protocols never had. The existing $16 billion in deposits across the Morpho ecosystem represents a potential user base already familiar with the platform’s infrastructure and smart contracts.
Why fixed rates matter more than they used to Multi-market offers allow a single pool of capital to serve as potential liquidity across several collateral types. A lender with USDC doesn’t need to decide upfront whether to lend against WBTC or wETH — they can quote rates across both markets and let whichever match comes first take the liquidity. The callback mechanism ensures capital remains productive in the meantime.
The inclusion of tokenized stocks as collateral suggests Morpho is positioning Midnight not just for crypto-native lending but for the broader tokenized asset economy.
Fixed-rate markets need density to function well — enough offers at enough maturities to create a liquid market. Whether Morpho can bootstrap that liquidity through its existing Blue user base will likely determine whether Midnight becomes a meaningful protocol or remains a niche feature.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Circle (NYSE:CRCL) says it has expanded its partnership with Binance, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. In a post on X, Circle said it has committed to a five-year deal in which Binance will support and promote USDC, Circle’s popular dollar-backed stablecoin.
The deal also includes a $100 million capital investment from Binance in Circle through a private placement purchased at a 5% discount, a significant commitment to the public firm.
USDC holdings are already around $7.1 billion on Binance. USDC is a regulatory-compliant stablecoin poised for growth as jurisdictions worldwide look to enable stablecoin use. Many observers anticipate rising demand for digital assets, especially in markets that struggle with high inflation. Stablecoins offer a fast, easy way to shift value into fiat currency.
At one point, Binance issued its own dollar-based stablecoin BUSD, but the firm has since retired the digital currency due to regulatory challenges. Binance will still support other digital dollars but the investment in Circle makes strategic sense as it is the second most popular stablecoin in the world.
Circle will compensate Binance with an incentive fee for holding USDC in its wallets, giving Binance ongoing financial motivation.
Circle shares were up about 1.4% in early trading.
Binance continues to hold the top global position in trading volume, followed by Coinbase. Most of its trading occurs outside the US, mostly in emerging markets.
A new report from Visa, one of the world’s largest payments networks, indicates that more Americans would consider using stablecoins for international transfers if these digital assets offered bank-level safeguards.
Bank-like protections boost stablecoin appealVisa’s Money Travels 2026 report found that willingness to use stablecoins for overseas transactions could rise from 36% to 56% among US consumers if features like fraud protection and deposit insurance were provided.
Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to stable assets, commonly the US dollar, and aim to minimize the high price volatility seen in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. However, unlike funds held in US bank accounts, stablecoins currently do not offer Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) coverage.
Visa emphasized that the scenario described in its survey is hypothetical and does not signal that FDIC-like protections currently exist or are expected to be implemented soon.
Familiarity remains a key obstacle to widespread adoption. According to the survey, 56% of Americans have never heard of stablecoins, and many wrongly believe these digital assets experience wild price swings similar to Bitcoin.
Consumer trust also depends on the provider. When stablecoins were offered by familiar financial institutions, interest rose to 45%. Approximately 61% of respondents said they would trust a traditional bank, while 60% favored a global payments company for digital currency services. Visa itself operates as a global financial technology firm specializing in payment solutions across the world.
The survey, conducted by the research firm Morning Consult, included 45,445 participants across 20 markets between February 24 and March 2, with 2,192 respondents based in the United States.
Mini dictionary: Morning Consult, an international data intelligence company, regularly conducts opinion surveys and market research for major organizations worldwide.
Global trends and security concernsThe pattern of rising willingness with added protections was not limited to the US. In Latin America, the percentage of people open to using stablecoins for cross-border transfers increased from 34% to 74% when safety features were presented as part of the offering.
Security remains an overriding concern for potential users. Among American remitters, 36% reported having encountered a scam while making cross-border payments. Additionally, 44% expressed concern about the threat posed by AI-generated deepfake scams impersonating relatives.
“Our research shows what matters most to those who rely on that lifeline: trust,” said Vira Platonova, Visa Direct’s global head.
Market growth and technology adoptionVisa has continued to develop the infrastructure needed for stablecoin settlements. The company said its stablecoin settlement volume now exceeds $20 billion annually, representing a steep increase from its $3.5 billion annualized settlement run rate when Visa started settling transactions in USD Coin (USDC) on the Solana network last December. In August, the Visa Direct service expanded to include stablecoin payouts via the crypto platform Zerohash.
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, recently estimated that the stablecoin market capitalization broke above $300 billion this month, with more than $11 trillion in adjusted transaction volume last year. The firm also projected that AI-powered agents could support the next phase of growth in the adoption of stablecoins and broader crypto assets.
RegionWillingness to use stablecoins (current)With bank-level protectionsUnited States36%56%Latin America34%74%
In brief Coinbase launched fixed-rate loans powered by Morpho, letting users borrow USDC against Bitcoin with the interest rate and repayment date locked in from the start—a departure from on-chain lending's dominant variable-rate model. It's the first enterprise-scale deployment of Morpho Midnight, with Coinbase controlling the app experience, Morpho providing the credit infrastructure and Base handling settlement. The option joins Coinbase's existing Morpho-powered variable-rate loans, now over $1.4 billion in active loans backed by ~$3 billion in collateral. Coinbase is giving borrowers a new way to tap cash without selling their Bitcoin, rolling out fixed-rate loans powered by decentralized lending protocol Morpho.
The product, announced Tuesday, lets Coinbase users borrow the USDC stablecoin against their Bitcoin with the interest rate and repayment date locked in from the start.
Myriad: How high will Bitcoin go? Click to make your prediction.That marks a departure from the variable-rate model that has dominated on-chain lending, where borrowing costs float with market conditions and can climb unpredictably. Now users can opt for certainty over both the cost and the duration of their loan.
The launch is the first enterprise-scale deployment of Morpho Midnight, a newer version of the protocol built to support fixed rates and defined maturities, with loans priced and executed natively on the cryptocurrency network. Coinbase controls the user experience through its app, while Morpho provides the underlying credit infrastructure and Coinbase's Base network handles settlement.
The fixed-rate option sits alongside Coinbase's existing variable-rate loans, which are also powered by Morpho. Coinbase first launched Bitcoin-backed borrowing on Base in early 2025, relying on Morpho as its technology provider.
That business has grown substantially, now exceeding $1.4 billion in active loans backed by roughly $3 billion in collateral, according to Morpho.
Coinbase has steadily widened the offering since launch, at one point undercutting rivals on servicing costs for U.S. borrowers and later expanding the collateral it accepts beyond Bitcoin to assets including XRP and Dogecoin.
The lending push hasn't been without turbulence, however. A sharp drop in Bitcoin and Ethereum prices back in February drove record liquidations across Coinbase's loan book, underscoring the risk that comes with borrowing against volatile collateral.
Fixed rates and set repayment dates are foundational to traditional credit markets, and bringing them to a platform of Coinbase's size is a notable step for on-chain lending, which has largely run on variable rates until now.
Morpho framed the speed of the build as evidence that fintechs can layer sophisticated credit products atop open infrastructure without reconstructing the underlying stack.
While the integration begins with Bitcoin, Morpho said the protocol is designed to eventually support tokenized stocks and other real-world assets.
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@arc, Circle's purpose-built stablecoin blockchain, has hit the ground running. Just one week after its public mainnet went live on September 16, the network is already circulating $624M in $USDC and has processed $6.8B in total transfers. The chain uses $USDC to pay transaction fees, removing the need for users to hold a volatile native gas token.
Fast Start for Circle's Layer-1 The numbers reflect a rapid deployment of capital onto a network that only recently opened its doors.
DeFi Activity Anchored by Morpho and Aave According to DefiLlama, $385M is currently locked in applications on the chain. @Morpho Blue leads with $211M in TVL, followed by @Aave V4 at $146M. The chain has also recorded $497M in DEX volume over its first week.
The continued growth in lending TVL points to institutional capital settling in rather than short-term speculation. , underlining the chain's singular focus on dollar-denominated activity.
Sources:
Decrypt: What Is Arc? The Stablecoin Blockchain From USDC Issuer Circle
MEXC Crypto Pulse: Circle Launches Arc Mainnet
NullTX: Arc's DEX Volume Dip Meets $628M in Stablecoins and Growing Lending TVL
Visa has published new survey results indicating that enhanced fraud protection and insurance at the level of traditional banks could significantly increase stablecoin adoption for cross-border payments among US consumers.
Survey findings on user trust and adoptionIn a study conducted between February and March, Visa partnered with research firm Morning Consult to survey 2,192 people in the United States. The findings revealed that general willingness to adopt stablecoins currently stands at 36%. However, Visa reported that projected adoption rates could climb to 56% if protections such as bank-level fraud prevention and deposit insurance are in place.
Participants were asked about financial concepts related to stablecoins and cross-border transactions. Many respondents expressed a desire for quicker and more cost-effective ways to send money internationally, suggesting pent-up demand for innovation in this area.
Trust in a payment method emerged as a key factor for adoption. According to Visa, 64% of respondents stated that they place more importance on the entity offering the payment service than on the underlying technology. When stablecoins are provided through familiar financial service providers, willingness to use them increases from 36% to 45%.
Participants indicated that trust in stablecoins is strongly tied to the reputation of the payment provider, with interest in adoption rising notably if existing financial institutions offer these services with protections similar to those seen at banks.
Regulatory developments in the USThe survey findings come as the US prepares for the potential implementation of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. This bill awaits final regulatory rules and is expected to come into effect in January 2027.
Currently, stablecoins do not offer the same protections as traditional bank accounts—such as fraud protection or deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). GENIUS is not expected to mandate FDIC-style insurance for stablecoins but aims to provide clearer guidelines to address illegal activities and improve market standards.
Mini dictionary: GENIUS Act, a proposed US law aiming to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins, covering guidelines for issuer operations and anti-illicit activity measures.
European Union moves on stablecoin reservesMeanwhile, the European System of Central Banks is advocating changes to stablecoin reserve rules for banks across the European Union. On Tuesday, the group called for modifying the requirement that stablecoin issuers must hold at least 30% of their reserves as bank deposits, or 60% for tokens deemed “significant.” The group proposed introducing specific liquidity thresholds instead, warning that strict deposit requirements could expose banks to risks if many users withdraw funds simultaneously.
These proposed amendments are part of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which began enforcing stablecoin-related policies in June 2024. MiCA is the first major regulatory framework in the European Union establishing clear rules for digital assets and stablecoins.
According to Decta, a payments infrastructure company, euro-pegged stablecoins that comply with MiCA regulations saw their combined market capitalization more than double from 2025 to 2026, ahead of the transition period’s conclusion. The global stablecoin market remains dominated by US dollar-based tokens such as USDC and USDT, which together hold approximately $260 billion in market value.
Stablecoin TypeMarket CapitalizationRegulatory CoverageUS dollar-pegged (USDC, USDT)Approx. $260 billionGENIUS (proposed, US), MiCA (EU, partial)Euro-pegged (MiCA-compliant)Doubled from 2025 to 2026*MiCA (EU)*Exact figures not provided in survey
Visa highlighted that guidelines and consumer protections could be essential to building trust and driving broader adoption of digital payment technologies such as stablecoins.
Aerodrome liquidity farming has accounted for about $109 billion of the $121 billion in USDC transfers recorded on Sep. 23, according to an analysis by RyeBlocks.
Summary
RyeBlocks attributed roughly 90% of the day’s reported USDC transfer volume to farming on Aerodrome. The analyst estimated that one-tick farming has generated about 75% of USDC transfer volume in the data measured since Aerodrome launched. The figures measure token movements, which can include activity other than payments. Visa also separates raw stablecoin transfers from adjusted activity in its onchain dashboard. On-chain analyst RyeBlocks posted the figures on Sep. 23, describing the Aerodrome activity as “inorganic farming.” The estimate leaves about $12 billion of the reported daily total outside the activity RyeBlocks identified. It does not establish that the remaining amount consisted entirely of payments.
The analyst also put one-tick farming at roughly 75% of the USDC transfer volume measured since Aerodrome launched. RyeBlocks linked to a Dune analysis, but the post does not spell out the full scope and filters behind that longer-term figure. It should therefore be treated as the analyst’s estimate for the measured data, rather than a verified share of every USDC transfer across all blockchains.
Why USDC transfers can outnumber payments Aerodrome is a decentralized exchange on Base, the blockchain network developed by Coinbase. Traders use its liquidity pools to swap tokens, while liquidity providers deposit assets that support those trades. Aerodrome’s documentation says eligible providers can receive AERO token rewards, with allocations to pools determined through weekly voting.
In one-tick farming, a liquidity provider uses a very narrow price range for a position. As positions are managed, USDC can move through pool contracts repeatedly. RyeBlocks’ finding concerns the resulting transfer records: the value counted as moving onchain can rise each time the tokens change position, even when the activity does not represent a new purchase or a payment to another person.
Aerodrome says it launched on Aug. 28, 2023, and uses a concentrated-liquidity design called Slipstream alongside another type of liquidity pool. Its rewards system gives providers a reason to place funds in eligible pools. RyeBlocks has identified farming within that system as the source of most of the USDC volume in its Sep. 23 comparison.
The finding does not, by itself, show wrongdoing by Aerodrome or its users. Providing liquidity is a normal exchange activity. The measurement question is whether a headline transfer total tells readers how many dollars people used for payments, or whether it mainly counts repeated movements connected to trading and liquidity management.
A separate measure shows why the distinction matters on Base. In September, Aerodrome handled $557.1 million of tokenized-stock trades during a 30-day period, or 76% of that category’s volume on the network, according to Token Terminal figures previously covered by crypto.news. That measure counted completed swaps. RyeBlocks’ USDC figures concern token transfers, so the two totals describe different types of activity and should not be combined.
How stablecoin data providers separate the activity Visa’s Onchain Analytics Dashboard draws a distinction between total stablecoin volume and an adjusted measure. Visa says public blockchains record activity initiated both by people and by software, including transactions that do not resemble conventional settlement. Its adjusted methodology seeks to remove potential distortions from bots, high-frequency trading, routing and repeated internal movements within a transaction.
Visa and its data partner Allium also classify transfers by use. The dashboard distinguishes payments for goods, services or person-to-person transfers from decentralized finance, exchange flows, trading and other categories. A USDC transfer into a liquidity pool can therefore be recorded onchain without being classified as a consumer or business payment.
The adjusted figure is not a simple count of payments, either. Visa says some DeFi activity can appear in adjusted volume, depending on how a transfer is classified and whether it passes the dashboard’s filters. Its methodology also uses address labels and transaction thresholds, which means results depend on the rules used to sort the data.
Dune describes a similar need to identify what a transfer represents. Its stablecoin data can classify activity such as a decentralized-exchange swap, a lending deposit, or a bridge transfer. Dune says users can choose which categories to include when calculating adjusted volume, rather than relying on one formula for every purpose.
Circle’s USDC figures cover several uses For U.S. investors following Circle, the issuer of USDC, the difference between transfer volume and payments is relevant to how company activity figures are read. Circle reported $14.8 trillion in USDC onchain transaction volume for the second quarter of 2026, up 151% from a year earlier. As earlier coverage of Circle’s results noted, that total includes trading and transfers alongside payments. It is a quarterly, company-reported measure and is not directly comparable with RyeBlocks’ single-day estimate.
Circle has also reported a narrower payments figure. Its second-quarter results put USDC at 99.3% of the payment volume it measured through x402, a protocol that lets software pay for online services. The percentage applies to that protocol’s measured activity, not to all payments made with USDC.
In August, Bernstein used another measure when assessing Circle. The brokerage said adjusted stablecoin volume was running at an annualized rate of about $17 trillion through July, with its calculation excluding bots and high-frequency activity. That estimate covers stablecoins generally and uses a different period and method from the figures RyeBlocks reported.
Circle’s planned expansion into payments provides a separate point of comparison. In September, the company agreed to buy payments firm Tazapay for $400 million in stock. Circle said Tazapay processes more than $25 billion in annualized payment volume across payout routes spanning over 100 markets, with stablecoins involved in about 60% of its transaction volume. The deal remains subject to approvals, including clearance from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Hub produced no blocks for 24 hours and 48 minutes. The attacker bought voting power for 20,199 USDC and staked it 12 minutes before an expedited Neutron proposal closed.
The Hub produced no blocks for 24 hours and 48 minutes. The attacker bought voting power for 20,199 USDC and staked it 12 minutes before an expedited Neutron proposal closed.
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Binance Wallet launches a 0 gas fee campaign for TRON network transfers, running until December 22.
Binance Wallet announced in a statement that from September 23 to December 22, 2026, users transferring USDT and other TRC-20 tokens via Binance Wallet to the TRON network will be eligible for a 0 gas fee promotion. The campaign is backed by TRON DAO, and after its conclusion, transfer fees will be reduced to 1 USDT per transaction.
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Cua has simultaneously open-sourced two S1 models, and also invited Jev to join the same benchmark test.
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Anthropic aims to bypass cloud providers by directly contracting a 1GW data center.
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Data: Funding rates indicate the market shows no immediate signs of overheating and remains neutral to bearish.
According to Coinglass data, Bitcoin has firmly broken through $86,000 and is now consolidating in a range. Altcoins and meme coins have also seen rotational trading activity, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has climbed above 70, entering the "Extreme Greed" territory for the first time in a year. However, current funding rates on major centralized (CEX) and decentralized exchanges (DEX) show no signs of market overheating. Funding rates for mainstream crypto asset contracts remain neutral to bearish; specific rates are detailed in the attached chart. BlockBeats Note: The funding rate is a mechanism set by cryptocurrency trading platforms to align contract prices with underlying asset prices, typically applied to perpetual contracts. It functions as a fund exchange between long and short traders—platforms do not collect this fee, and it adjusts the cost or return of holding contracts to keep contract prices closely tied to underlying assets. A 0.01% funding rate is the benchmark. When the rate exceeds 0.01%, it signals widespread bullish sentiment; when it falls below 0.005%, it indicates broad bearish sentiment.
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Meme crypto token project MEME has exceeded a market capitalization of $40 million, surging 36.7% in the past 24 hours.
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Muse officially announced four new connectors within 24 hours, linking services covering shopping, payments, hotel bookings, and grocery shopping.
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Binance Wallet launches a 0 gas fee campaign for TRON network transfers, running until December 22.
Binance Wallet announced in a statement that from September 23 to December 22, 2026, users transferring USDT and other TRC-20 tokens via Binance Wallet to the TRON network will be eligible for a 0 gas fee promotion. The campaign is backed by TRON DAO, and after its conclusion, transfer fees will be reduced to 1 USDT per transaction.
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Cua has simultaneously open-sourced two S1 models, and also invited Jev to join the same benchmark test.
Beating AI Express: Open-source computer-use infrastructure project Cua has open-sourced two S1 models specialized for computer use decision-making, and launched Cua-Bench-S1, a benchmark that evaluates models like Jev separately. This benchmark does not allow models to plan on their own. Each task provides the current interface and a set of pre-selected actions (e.g., "fill email", "check agree", "click submit", "skip"), with the model making only one selection per task. No re-screening of the interface or failure retries are permitted. This setup tests one core question purely: what is the next step? The two open-sourced models take different approaches: The Nano version has only ~855,000 trainable parameters, trained from scratch, and is specialized for scoring candidate actions. The 4B version uses Qwen3.5-4B as its base model, fine-tuned into the same "multiple-choice model" framework. The former prioritizes minimal size and speed, while the latter leverages the large model’s inherent comprehension for stronger generalization. Beyond common tasks like form filling, login, and search, the benchmark also includes security judgment, chess, Doom, and JevBench. The latter tasks are intentionally excluded from the models’ training data, to test their ability to make correct decisions outside familiar scenarios.
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Anthropic aims to bypass cloud providers by directly contracting a 1GW data center.
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Data: Funding rates indicate the market shows no immediate signs of overheating and remains neutral to bearish.
According to Coinglass data, Bitcoin has firmly broken through $86,000 and is now consolidating in a range. Altcoins and meme coins have also seen rotational trading activity, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has climbed above 70, entering the "Extreme Greed" territory for the first time in a year. However, current funding rates on major centralized (CEX) and decentralized exchanges (DEX) show no signs of market overheating. Funding rates for mainstream crypto asset contracts remain neutral to bearish; specific rates are detailed in the attached chart. BlockBeats Note: The funding rate is a mechanism set by cryptocurrency trading platforms to align contract prices with underlying asset prices, typically applied to perpetual contracts. It functions as a fund exchange between long and short traders—platforms do not collect this fee, and it adjusts the cost or return of holding contracts to keep contract prices closely tied to underlying assets. A 0.01% funding rate is the benchmark. When the rate exceeds 0.01%, it signals widespread bullish sentiment; when it falls below 0.005%, it indicates broad bearish sentiment.
5 minutes ago
Meme crypto token project MEME has exceeded a market capitalization of $40 million, surging 36.7% in the past 24 hours.
According to GMGN data, the stock-meme project MEME on Robinhood Chain has seen its market capitalization exceed $40 million, now retreating to $38 million, with a trading volume of $6.9 million in the same period and a 24-hour gain of 36.7%. MEME leverages stock trading platform Robinhood, pairing its token with tokenized U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment (ticker: AMC) as a liquidity pool, providing liquidity via the MEME/AMC trading pair. BlockBeats Note: Stock Meme is an emerging concept that merges traditional meme coins with tokenized U.S. stocks: instead of pairing meme coins with USDT or ETH, they are directly paired with on-chain U.S. stock tokens (such as NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, etc.). This model retains meme coins’ high volatility and community-driven speculative traits while tapping into the popularity and narratives of real stocks. A portion of transaction fees typically flows back to the community treasury to accumulate corresponding U.S. stock tokens, forming a dual-driven model of "sentiment speculation + real asset anchoring". Prices are highly volatile; investors should exercise caution.
5 minutes ago
Muse officially announced four new connectors within 24 hours, linking services covering shopping, payments, hotel bookings, and grocery shopping.
Beating AI Insight News Brief: Meta’s personal AI agent Muse announced four upcoming connectors from Shopify, PayPal, Expedia, and Instacart within 24 hours. Once integrated, Muse can directly leverage these services for shopping, payments, hotel bookings, and grocery runs, no longer fully dependent on opening web pages itself. Shopify will integrate Shop Pay one-click checkout across all its stores; PayPal enables Muse to shop and complete transactions at PayPal merchants globally; Expedia allows Muse to select and book hotels; Instacart offers a streamlined experience: users simply say “Tacos for Tuesday,” and Muse will generate a shopping cart based on store inventory, then hand it off to Instacart for checkout and delivery. These partnerships address a critical gap for Muse: shifting the agent from “simulating website operations” to “websites proactively connecting their services to it.” The former approach (browser click simulation) can be blocked by sites at any time—Amazon has already implemented this—while the latter means product, inventory, payment, and fulfillment are all provided by partner platforms, with Muse only tasked with understanding user needs and initiating tasks. More integrations will reduce Muse’s reliance on browser click simulation.
has invested $100 million in , as the crypto companies extend an existing partnership.
The world’s largest crypto exchange and the stablecoin giant have struck a new five-year agreement, which will see Circle pay Binance a monthly fee to promote its stablecoin USDC.
The deal sees Circle doubling down on its strategy of working closely with crypto exchange heavyweights to boost usage of USDC, which is the world’s second-largest stablecoin with a market value of about $75 billion. The company already works closely with , which says “a ...
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Russia's Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov has issued a pointed warning to the country's cryptocurrency holders: if foreign issuers freeze stablecoins held through Russian intermediaries, investors themselves could be left bearing the losses. The remarks, reported by state news agency TASS, come as Moscow pushes to bring its vast and largely unregulated crypto market under formal oversight.
A Market Too Large to Ignore Chebeskov said clearer regulation should also provide more reliable data on the market's true size and activity.
The scale of those figures has pushed Russian authorities to act.
The Freeze Risk and What It Means for Investors Chebeskov's warning centres on a structural vulnerability that Russian officials have openly acknowledged. Foreign issuers of stablecoins, including $USDT issuer Tether and Circle, which issues $USDC, retain the technical ability to freeze assets at the request of foreign authorities. Because those decisions fall outside the control of Russian depositories or intermediaries, the ministry's position is that investors could have no legal recourse domestically if such a freeze occurs.
However, the ministry's warning makes clear that this buffer does not eliminate investor risk entirely.
To address the broader regulatory gap, Russia is developing rules that would clearly define responsibilities between investors and digital asset intermediaries.
underlining the challenge Moscow faces in drawing activity onto domestic, regulated platforms.
Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Russia mandates investors report foreign crypto transactions, warns of losses from stablecoin freezes
Cryptopolitan: Russia counts 20 million crypto users holding $44 billion in digital assets
The Moscow Times: Russia Passes Crypto Law to Legalize Trading Under Tight Central Bank Oversight
Binance Wallet launches a 0 gas fee campaign for TRON network transfers, running until December 22.
Binance Wallet announced in a statement that from September 23 to December 22, 2026, users transferring USDT and other TRC-20 tokens via Binance Wallet to the TRON network will be eligible for a 0 gas fee promotion. The campaign is backed by TRON DAO, and after its conclusion, transfer fees will be reduced to 1 USDT per transaction.
5 minutes ago
Cua has simultaneously open-sourced two S1 models, and also invited Jev to join the same benchmark test.
Beating AI Express: Open-source computer-use infrastructure project Cua has open-sourced two S1 models specialized for computer use decision-making, and launched Cua-Bench-S1, a benchmark that evaluates models like Jev separately. This benchmark does not allow models to plan on their own. Each task provides the current interface and a set of pre-selected actions (e.g., "fill email", "check agree", "click submit", "skip"), with the model making only one selection per task. No re-screening of the interface or failure retries are permitted. This setup tests one core question purely: what is the next step? The two open-sourced models take different approaches: The Nano version has only ~855,000 trainable parameters, trained from scratch, and is specialized for scoring candidate actions. The 4B version uses Qwen3.5-4B as its base model, fine-tuned into the same "multiple-choice model" framework. The former prioritizes minimal size and speed, while the latter leverages the large model’s inherent comprehension for stronger generalization. Beyond common tasks like form filling, login, and search, the benchmark also includes security judgment, chess, Doom, and JevBench. The latter tasks are intentionally excluded from the models’ training data, to test their ability to make correct decisions outside familiar scenarios.
5 minutes ago
Anthropic aims to bypass cloud providers by directly contracting a 1GW data center.
Insight Beating AI Express: The Information, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that Anthropic is in talks with Stream Data Centers to directly lease up to 1GW of data center computing capacity. The two sides are in early-stage negotiations, with no final size confirmed, and the deal could still fall through. If signed, Anthropic will become a direct data center tenant, deploying its own servers and chips—including Google and Broadcom’s TPUs, as well as NVIDIA GPUs. Google is also discussing providing credit guarantees for some of the projects. This differs from renting servers directly from AWS or Google Cloud: Anthropic will control its own chips, racks and network equipment, cutting out a layer of cloud provider markup, though it will bear the costs of equipment procurement and data center operations. Per estimates from data center developers interviewed by The Information, a full 1GW computing infrastructure would require at least $40 billion in capital investment. Anthropic has already directly leased around 401MW of data center capacity from TeraWulf this year, and last year announced a $50 billion investment in a custom data center in partnership with Fluidstack. If the Stream deal reaches 1GW, it will become one of Anthropic’s largest direct data center leases to date.
5 minutes ago
Data: Funding rates indicate the market shows no immediate signs of overheating and remains neutral to bearish.
According to Coinglass data, Bitcoin has firmly broken through $86,000 and is now consolidating in a range. Altcoins and meme coins have also seen rotational trading activity, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has climbed above 70, entering the "Extreme Greed" territory for the first time in a year. However, current funding rates on major centralized (CEX) and decentralized exchanges (DEX) show no signs of market overheating. Funding rates for mainstream crypto asset contracts remain neutral to bearish; specific rates are detailed in the attached chart. BlockBeats Note: The funding rate is a mechanism set by cryptocurrency trading platforms to align contract prices with underlying asset prices, typically applied to perpetual contracts. It functions as a fund exchange between long and short traders—platforms do not collect this fee, and it adjusts the cost or return of holding contracts to keep contract prices closely tied to underlying assets. A 0.01% funding rate is the benchmark. When the rate exceeds 0.01%, it signals widespread bullish sentiment; when it falls below 0.005%, it indicates broad bearish sentiment.
5 minutes ago
Meme crypto token project MEME has exceeded a market capitalization of $40 million, surging 36.7% in the past 24 hours.
According to GMGN data, the stock-meme project MEME on Robinhood Chain has seen its market capitalization exceed $40 million, now retreating to $38 million, with a trading volume of $6.9 million in the same period and a 24-hour gain of 36.7%. MEME leverages stock trading platform Robinhood, pairing its token with tokenized U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment (ticker: AMC) as a liquidity pool, providing liquidity via the MEME/AMC trading pair. BlockBeats Note: Stock Meme is an emerging concept that merges traditional meme coins with tokenized U.S. stocks: instead of pairing meme coins with USDT or ETH, they are directly paired with on-chain U.S. stock tokens (such as NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, etc.). This model retains meme coins’ high volatility and community-driven speculative traits while tapping into the popularity and narratives of real stocks. A portion of transaction fees typically flows back to the community treasury to accumulate corresponding U.S. stock tokens, forming a dual-driven model of "sentiment speculation + real asset anchoring". Prices are highly volatile; investors should exercise caution.
5 minutes ago
Muse officially announced four new connectors within 24 hours, linking services covering shopping, payments, hotel bookings, and grocery shopping.
Beating AI Insight News Brief: Meta’s personal AI agent Muse announced four upcoming connectors from Shopify, PayPal, Expedia, and Instacart within 24 hours. Once integrated, Muse can directly leverage these services for shopping, payments, hotel bookings, and grocery runs, no longer fully dependent on opening web pages itself. Shopify will integrate Shop Pay one-click checkout across all its stores; PayPal enables Muse to shop and complete transactions at PayPal merchants globally; Expedia allows Muse to select and book hotels; Instacart offers a streamlined experience: users simply say “Tacos for Tuesday,” and Muse will generate a shopping cart based on store inventory, then hand it off to Instacart for checkout and delivery. These partnerships address a critical gap for Muse: shifting the agent from “simulating website operations” to “websites proactively connecting their services to it.” The former approach (browser click simulation) can be blocked by sites at any time—Amazon has already implemented this—while the latter means product, inventory, payment, and fulfillment are all provided by partner platforms, with Muse only tasked with understanding user needs and initiating tasks. More integrations will reduce Muse’s reliance on browser click simulation.
